Louisville Elementary is inviting past students and teachers to join the current school community Friday in celebrating the school's 50th anniversary.

"It's going to be huge and fun," said Principal Jennifer Rocke. "It's a way to honor the past and celebrate our school community."

She said the highlight will be a performance by vocal rock band Face, whose member Cody Qualls is a Louisville Elementary alum. Face has toured nationally and is a fixture of the local music scene.

Qualls said he always loved to sing and received encouragement from his fifth-grade choir teacher at Louisville Elementary while auditioning for a musical.

"To get that affirmation from your teacher, that was a huge moment for me," he said. "It helped me decide to go get voice lessons."

He said he was honored to be asked to perform at the 50th celebration.

"I get to return to my elementary school, and we can be role models for kids and set an example that you can pick a path in life doing what you really love," he said.

Along with the performance, the anniversary party will include face painting, bounce houses, a rock climbing wall, local food trucks, a classic car show and alumni photo shoots by decade. Historical photos also will be displayed at the event.

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To commemorate the event, Rocke said each of the school's 600-plus students painted a ceramic tile using prompts that included "my favorite thing about the school" and "what the school means to me." The tiles will be permanently displayed at the school entrance.

Rocke also has been reading bits of trivia gleaned from community members during school announcements.

The original Louisville Elementary, built in 1880, was located in what's now Memory Square Park. At that building, a big, white metal slide was used as the fire escape and most of the upper windows were broken after a gun club was hired to shoot the abundance of pigeons roosting on the roof.

The original school building was torn down and the new school built in 1964. Though the building was destroyed, the bell was saved and sits at the front of the school. Since it was built, the current school has had two classroom additions and the addition of the gym.

"We're calling all the generations and hoping to bring people back," Qualls said.

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